West Ham have reportedly made a bid for Lincoln defender Sean Raggett – and the club’s supporters are furious on social media with the speculation.
The Mail report that the Hammers have submitted a £120,000 offer for the centre-back that has just achieved promotion from the National League.
He has helped Lincoln clinch the league title and the Imps have confirmed their spot back in League Two for next season.
Raggett has only ever played non-league football during his career and it appears West Ham want him to make the huge step up to the Premier League.
The defender has enjoyed a superb season for Lincoln and made 47 appearances across all competitions, scoring seven goals to show his aerial presence.
He also played a major role in their memorable run to the FA Cup quarter-finals and helped his side pick up a famous win over Burnley with a late winner.
However, West Ham fans are angry with the swoop for the non-league sensation and feels that they should be aiming for a higher calibre of player.
Here is a selection of their messages on Twitter:
https://twitter.com/DieHardHammers/status/866986846013837312
https://twitter.com/NWOK/status/866996773386149888
The board seem insistent in signing someone from the lower league and get rid of our own youth who are measurably better. Stupid targeting.
— Josh V (@WestHamJoshV) May 23, 2017
@ThompsWHUFC wow..
— Liam Bensley (@BensleyWHUFC) May 23, 2017
https://twitter.com/liamions/status/866987779103895552
Setting our sights high again !! ?
— Russell Carter ? (@RC4HL) May 23, 2017
More big money signings taking us to the next level I see!!
— Mr R (@UnHappyHammer68) May 23, 2017
who?
— East London Hammers (@EastHammers) May 23, 2017
West Ham are looking to compete in the top half of the Premier League table and their switch to the new London Stadium was meant to aid their European ambitions.
Slaven Bilic’s side were dumped out of the Europa League in the qualifying rounds last summer and had a disappointing league season where they finished 11th.
The Hammers will surely bolster their squad in the summer and Raggett is an early target, but they do already have several defensive options at their disposal.
Bilic has commonly used the three-man defence system this season and has centre-backs such as Winston Reid, James Collins, Jose Fonte and Angelo Ogbonna to fill the backline.